We went sailing with our friend Shannon and her Dad the other day. It was so much fun. Dan and I took a sailing class last year and it was great chance to get a refreshers course once again. Bill let Dan man the tiller and we set off into Newport's bay. Dan was in Heaven. It was such a beautiful day -- perfect for sailing.
Daniel and I finally took a sailing class! We can now officially sail (somewhat) on our own! Yay! Here are some pictures of our 5 week class and all the fun things we learned. I can proudly say that we never capsized and we kept the yelling at eachother to a healthy minimal level. Ha-ha.
B-"No that's not how you do it!"
D-"Yes it is!"
B-"We're gonna tip!"
D-"Chilax "
B-"Arrrghhhh!"
but seriously, we had a blast.
and
Ahem...we were the best in the class.
Some basic knots we used in sailing
Cleat Hitch Round turn and 2 half hitches
Clove Hitch
Figure Eight Bowline
Square
Dan looking handsome
One of our many yachts...ha-ha
We sailed by this this guy that was wearing some kind of water jet suit! Blew my mind...
I researched it later and found out it's called a Jetlev Jetpack.
We took the Flyer from Newport at 8:00 and arrived in Avalon 2 hours later.
The Catalina Island Casino Ballroom opened to the public in 1929. The entire top floor of the grand casino has the largest circular wooden dance floor in the world.
Dany, Evan and Daniel
Avalon is a car free city...golf carts rule the streets. Specially licensed vehicles are allowed to travel the interior of the island, where 200 buffalo roam. Too cool.
Even big company's have to downsize on the island. I think they're cute.
Evan, Dany, Daniel and I are going to Catalina Island for the weekend! Yay mini vacation!
In the 1930s, Catalina Island was a favored getaway destination for Hollywood stars such as Clark Gable and Charlie Chaplin. The island also served as a filming location for dozens of movies
Our friend Patrick flew down from Oregon on Friday night just to come to our neighborhood Halloween party on Saturday! What a surprise! Danny and I wanted to show him around before he took-off Sunday morning. We thought it would be fun to take him for a boat ride and swim out to Jump Rock. Here are some pictures from Saturday morning. Fun stuff!
Shanny on the dock.
Boyzzz. Aaahummm... I mean MEN.
Danny and Pat.
I'm diggin the suspenders Patty!
The gang.
We had to fill-up the boat before we made our way to Jump Rock
Shanny and I hopped off the dock and got some fruit for the ride. I love this little stand -- so cute. Danny and I walk past it when we take evening strolls around Balboa Island.
We made it to Jump Rock and dropped the anchor about 300 feet away. The swim was the only hard part...it's a bit cold in October and we "trunked it" in Daniel's terms (meaning, without a wetsuit). Pat didn't bring trunks so he decided to swim in his jeans and suspenders. Ha-ha he's hilarious! What a good sport. Once we reached the rock, we climbed up the back side and jumped off!
It's such a rush! I love it!
You can only climb the back side on calm days, otherwise the waves will smash you against the barnacle rocks. Some people prefer to climb the front of the cliff if they are swimming from the beach.
Here are some great videos put together by fellow jumpers. If you're ever in town, you've got to try it! The rock is about 25-30 feet high. It's surrounded by kelp beds and beautiful Garibaldi fish. Just make sure you bring someone that knows the area and can show you how to jump safely.
